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Protein powders; which type and variety is best for you?

Laurentia (Laura)Campbell
11 min readJul 10, 2024

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Protein powders can help build muscle which can help with athletic performance, blood sugar control, joint and organ health and posture. Accredited expert Nutritionist Laurentia Campbell (AfN) compares the varieties and brands to help you chose the one best for your personal health and individual needs that is as little processed and free from artifical ingredients as possible.

Protein is essential part of the diet for health. It helps to make muscle which we need to move our bones and joints and posture and for our organs (such as our heart muscle), tissues (such as our blood vessels) and skin. The more muscle we have, the quicker we convert carbohydrates sugars and fats from our diet to energy, and the less likely we are to store them as fat. Muscle stores sugars (and so more muscle helps with better blood sugar control). A high body muscle to body fat ratio is associated with improved health and life span. The best sources of protein are whole foods from our diet, such as eggs, meat, fish, soya, nuts and seeds; but protein powders can quickly supplement protein as you age (as your ability to make muscle from proteins in your food declines as you age) and to aid recovery and enhance althletic performance. But which one should you pick?

When should you use a protein powder?

Despite the marketing claims made by many high profile companies such as Huel, MyProtein, Optimum Nutrition and many other popular and trendy brands, protein powders can be unhealthy and unnecessary. The most natural protein is unprocessed foods from your diet- with chicken, soya and tofu, hemp seed, dairy, grass fed beef, fish and nuts and a balanced diet should include more than enough protein to meet your nutritional needs. Too much protein can cause weight gain, bone loss, kidney damage and liver failure.

Protein powders are only needed in specific cases for those with health issues and enhanced protein requirements. As you age your ability to absorb protein from your diet decreases and so protein supplementation with powders my be helpful to improve healthspan. Protein supplementation powders can also help those with gut issues such as IBS who struggle to absorb protein from their diet, and for those recovering from an illness, injury or operation or for sports nutrition for those preparing for intense exercise- to help to quickly build muscle.

All protein powders are processed and some varieties can be ultraprocessed and full of unhealthy artifical sweeteners which can damage the gut microbiota and increase sugar cravings (as they can be thousands of times sweeter than sugar and so increase our taste bud and brain dopamine cravings for sugary things). A fit young person preparing for a marathon will need a different type and dosage of protein to an elderly, underweight or post-surgery person building muscle for increased mobility or a diabetic building muscle to help reduce blood sugar and insulin resistance and improve blood sugar response.

People in the protein industry talk about EAA (or essential amino acids) and BCAA (branched chain amino acids). Ideally you want a protein powder that is from a source (such as animal source or hemp or soya) that contains all 9 essential amino acids. BCAAs stimulate the building of protein in muscle and possibly reduce muscle breakdown.

There are also different types of proteins- some are fast proteins; some are slow proteins. Branched chain proteins or intact proteins- such as Whey powder- are quickly broken down into amino acids which enter the blood stream and so are good for helping improve muscle recovery time post sport so you can quickly perform again. A slow protein would be something like Casein, which contains amino acids which are clotted in the stomach and therefore it drips amino acids into the blood stream slowly which is better for long term muscle formation and recovery from a long term injury. Protein concentates come from whole foods and are 60–80% protein (the rest carbs and fat), isolates are 90–95% protein (isolated protein) and hyrolylsates are more processed protein powders (to enhance absorption from the gut to blood to muscle and tissues).

You must pick the type and dosage tailored to your age, metabolic health, body muscle percentage and your individual protein needs and not trust the one-size-fits-all misinformed, sales focused marketing claims of many protein powder companies.

5 key factors impacting the muscle building (anabolic) capacity of a protein source.

1) Protein digestibility- splanchnic uptake (gut to blood absorption) of amino acids which is different based on your age, gut health and the protein source (animal proteins are more easily digested). Plant proteins are less digestible than animal proteins. Animal proteins tend to be 90% digestible, plant proteins 40–70%. The percent of protein derived amino acids that can make it into the circulation over a four hour post-prandial (post meal) period is greater with animal sources than plant based sources. This is because of many of the anti-nutrient components of some plant proteins.

2) Its essential amino acid profile of all 9 essential amino acids at levels above sufficient levels. Also how much of the protein is made up of essential amino acids compared to non essential amino acids and how this affects bioavailability of essential amino acids.

3) Its leucine content- given that leucine is our key amino acid to stimulate muscle growth via signalling pathways. A high leucine content is essential if we want to harness this muscle forming capacity or muscle remodelling. Animal proteins are higher in leucine content compared to plant-based proteins (with exception of maize and brussel sprouts).

4) Its absorption from the blood into muscle. Again this depends on your blood vessel health and what the protein is co-injested with (vitamin C, zinc, creatine, glutamine, omega3s etc). High fibre diets can impact protein absorption into muscle. Omega3s have been shown to enhance protein absorption (the best protein supplement is an oily fish fillet).

Which powder to chose?

NEVER trust the claims made by magazines such as Men’s Health, Cosmopolitan, BBC good food or by supplement selling companies such as Holland and Barrett or Huel as these are often not “clean” products and can be full of marketing hyped junk, written by journalists or marketers with no science background rather than being written by evidence based nutritional scientists with no vested interests. Often they sell the trendiest, not healthiest products and fads come and go but health is for life. I took a look at the current UK market (as of 2024) and selected what I would buy myself based on research from recent randomised controlled research trials in large groups of population representative humans.

  1. Whey protein: whey is from milk and therefore it provides quick acting protein and helps with muscle mass formation, blood sugar control and athletic performance recovery. It is great for sports nutrition. The best varieties are from Isolate (90% pure protein, 10% carbs and fat) and contain no added sugar (sugar, coconut sugar, honey etc- all added sugar even if natural), sweeteners (stevia) or artifical sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame or sugar alcohols (which can be laxative in excess) such as sorbitol and xylitol or added carbohydrates such as rice or starches. Some evidence suggests it is best to supplement whey with creatine monophosphate powders to enhance protein absorption and muscle mass formation- such as https://www.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/creatine-monohydrate-powder/10530050.html?variation=10530053&rctxt=fbt and glutamine.

2. Casein protein. This provides the body with all of the amino acids necessary to help build muscle. Casein protein is digested more slowly than other proteins, so it might be better at reducing appetite and increasing feelings of fullness and so is best for the elderly and those trying to lose weight and build muscle slowly. Again the best varieties (90% protein) contain no artificial sweeteners or added gums, stabilisers or other ultraprocessed junk and are free from added refined carbohydrates such as rice powder or sweeteners (even natural sugars such as coconut sugar are still added sugars) and are best with added creatine monohydrate https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/optimum-nutrition-creatine-monohydrate-60076741.

3. Collagen. This (unlike milk or plant based protein sources)- is pure protein 100% and therefore is the best protein supplement you can buy. Collagen is a protein powder used to build muscle, but also joints and bones and skin and hair. It is not purely sports nutrition protein powder, but can be used by everyone to enhance healthspan, improve blood sugar control, reduce appetite and improve bone strength. The best sources of collagen come from chicken broth, animal skins and cartilege, feet and necks- but there are also powders avaliable which some people find more palatable. The best collagen comes from marine (fish sources) and is hydrolysed (broken down to make it most absorbable) to at least 2000 daltons. Helps with everything from bone, cartilege and muscle building, blood sugar control, heart health, appetite (as protein is the most filling macronutrient) formation, athletic performance, joint health, enzyme formation, hair and skin and more. However bovine sources are also highly effective. Plant based collagens are far less effective. The best collagen powders contain added vitamin C and Zinc to enhance collagen formation, no sucralose or artificial ingredients and are not in pill form with added bulking agents and Anti-Caking Agents (Magnesium Stearate, Silicon Dioxide).

4. Plant based protein powders. Unlike collagen and whey isolate- plant based proteins are very high in carbohydrates and so less good for blood sugar control and muscle formation. The best ones contain soya or hemp seed as these contain all 9 essential amino acids, along with pea and fava branched chain protein sources. The best brands are..

The ones to avoid:

  1. All Vow and https://vownutrition.com/collections/protein-powders/products/vow-elite-whey?variant=42779012006060 and optimum nutrition protein powders- https://www.optimumnutrition.com/en-gb. Although endorsed by athletes (who get paid to sell these products), all their powders contain Sucralose artificial sweetener which enhances sugar cravings by changing dopamine response and taste bud receptors- see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10971371/
  2. All PE nutrition products- as even the unflavoured variety contains Sucralose artificial sweeteners and emulsifier Sunflower Lecithin which damage the gut microbiota.
  3. Even though its super trendy and cool- avoid Huel like the plague as its all marketing rubbish. It contains artifical sweetners, gums and seed oils which are all bad for health. Huel vanilla protein powder contains Oat Flour, Pea Protein, Tapioca Starch, Ground Flaxseed, Natural Flavourings, Micronutrient Blend (Minerals (Potassium, Chloride, Calcium, Iodine), Corn Starch, Vitamins (C, E, A, Niacin, D, Pantothenic Acid, Folate, B12, K, B6, B2), Maltodextrin), Brown Rice Protein, Sunflower Oil Powder, Stabiliser: Xanthan Gum and Sucralose sweetener. The sucralose powder will enhance your taste bud and brain dopamine sugar cravings and there is lots of high glycaemic index carbohydrates in this protein powder. It is not just protein. You are better off having an egg, chicken fillet or if required pure protein unflavoured powder.
Huel

Overall?

The best protein source is from your diet. At present (though this may change as new evidence becomes avaliable) evidence suggests that if you need to increase muscle or bone with a protein powder, the best ones are pure hydrolysed whey, caesin, collagen which are 90–100% protein with omega3, vitamin C, creatine monophosphate and zinc to enhance protein absorption from the gut to blood to muscle.

COPYRIGHT LAURA CAMPBELL

Did you enjoy reading my article? I am happy to send you the research behind any of the claims I make in this article. I am a scientist FOREMOST. Do you want me to write for you or to help you with new product development or nutritional advice? I go ONLY ON SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE and will not endorse products I do not believe in. I am vitriolic in my passion for preventing scientific misinformation based on unsubstantiated claims. Feel free to email me at laurentia.campbell@live.co.uk if you want to work with me or to connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauracampbell007/

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Laurentia (Laura)Campbell
Laurentia (Laura)Campbell

Written by Laurentia (Laura)Campbell

48 Followers
31 Following

Neuroscience, mental health and nutrition academic and writer. Life-experimenter, trying to add value with an insatiable appetite for actioning positive change.

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